Silver Tribute
by Lulu-Prints
Summary: A collection of one-shots/short stories/drabbles about the silver pair, with other pairs mentioned. Rated T generally, with individual ratings inside each chapter/story. Stories may or may not be related to one another.
1. Stars

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Prince of Tennis & the hot tennis princes inside, although like everyone else out there, I really wish I did.

**Note to all : **No, no, I haven't forgotten about my other stories, don't worry. I sometimes find myself getting random bits of ideas without being able to string them into something usable, and here's where they'll end up! This is a collection of one-shots/short stories/drabbles about the silver pair from Hyoutei, Prince of Tennis, with other pairs mentioned here and there. Rated T generally, with individual ratings inside each chapter/story. Stories may or may not be related to one another, so be sure to read the Summary!

**Title : **#1 - Stars

**Summary :** A random dedication to Shishido Ryou for his belated birthday, 29th September! Choutarou finds himself under a starry night sky one night as he waits for Shishido Senpai. Silver pair fluff I think? A little drabble, rated T to be safe.

* * *

_Stars are pretty, even more so if you're gazing at them with the one you love._

Ootori Choutarou balanced his weight carefully on the wooden fence, rocking his body slowly to the light breeze blowing around him, sighing as he glanced away from the skies once again. A quick glance at his wristwatch told him that it was 10:50 p.m., hinting that the day would soon come to an end..

Shishido Senpai was still nowhere in sight. But that's okay.. Right?

Perhaps the stars had some sort of mystical powers over him, Choutarou concluded as he closed his eyes slowly, denying the slight dampness he felt clinging onto his lashes. Perhaps that was why he couldn't feel angry, or agitated at all. Perhaps, Choutarou decided as he opened his eyes again, he was really in love this time. There was no other explanation for this.

He would wait, and he was sure that Shishido Senpai would arrive anytime soon..

* * *

"There's no reason for you to go out in the middle of the ni-"

Shishido Ryou growled, a deep noise in his throat as he slammed the door to his room shut. He'd had just about enough of his older brother, just because the said boy wouldn't shut up. As though to confirm that point, a sudden loud and dull thumping sounded from the direction of his room door, just as Ryou launched himself at his own bed.

"Okaasan entrust you into my care, Ryou, there's no way I'm going to let you-"

He was almost sure that when his mother entrust him into his older brother's care, she didn't mean for his older brother to dress him up like a freak. Tossing his pillow at the door, satisfied to hear his brother's shocked pause before the older boy started yelling again. Ryou paced towards the window, and sighed as he glanced at the skies. He had made a promise to Choutarou, and there's no way he's going to let his older brother ruin his plans.

"Thanks to your clothes, I'm going to SLEEP. Now SHUT UP," Ryou yelled, silencing his older brother for a moment. A moment long enough for him to consider..

The branch near his window was a jump away, and if he missed that, it'll be a two-storeys fall for himself. Still, it's worth a try, right?

Taking in a deep, calming breath, Ryou tried his best to ignore his brother as the older boy started yelling again-

And leaped out of his window, towards freedom.. More specifically, towards Choutarou.

Not without a couple of scratches, gasps and curses, of course.

* * *

_11:50_, the hands on Choutarou's wristwatch announced. _It's been an hour, but that's okay, there's another 10 minutes more_..

Besides, it wouldn't exactly be pointless even if it was after midnight. Afterall, all he had to do is to add a 'belated' in the middle of his wishes..

Choutarou brought his arms to his chest as he tried to repress a shiver. It was starting to get a little chilly, and somehow Choutarou sudden recalled his Geography teacher going, "Temperature drops as altitude increases,". Not that he was ever going to know if that's true, anyway. Geography had always been once of Shishido Senpai's stronger subjects, but not his.

That thought brought a gentle smile to the face of the silver-haired boy, brightening his face in a way Choutarou would never know himself.

_That's really okay. As long as Shishido Senpai turned up, everything will be fine- Ah. Speak of the angel.._

Grinning in a sheepish, relieved way, Choutarou sneaked a glance at his wristwatch as Shishido Senpai rounded the corner. 11:57, it read. Shishido Senpai was barely on time, but that's okay. Afterall, Shishido Senpai is here, and he's..

"Ano, Shishido Senpai, why.. Why are you wearing-"

"Don't ask," Ryou replied, a faint flush of pink colouring the older boy's cheeks. Choutarou chuckled lightly, and reached out his hand towards his senior, an invitation for his doubles' partner to join him on the fence.

"Orange was never really your colour, Shishido Senpai.. Neither did spongebob-"

"Drop it, Choutarou, or I'm going back home to sleep."

"No- Don't.."

"I'm joking. Shift over."

"The slippers are kind of cute-"

"Choutarou."

"Hai~"

They sat like that in a moment of silence; Side by side, their heads almost touching, each of them leaning only slightly towards each other in an almost unnoticeableway. The keyword was 'unnoticeable'; Choutarou shivered again, partly because of the growing chill, partly because of Shishido Senpai being.. Here, with him.

Ryou seemed to have noticed Choutarou's shivering, though. Of course, he would never fail to notice something like that.

Shrugging, brows furrowed in worry, Ryou proceeded to unbutton his shirt, ignoring the sudden exclamation from his junior. Sure, he had worn a dark singlet underneath his pajamas, but that wouldn't be enough protection against the cold. Still, it was better if he was the only one who would fall sick because of tonight. Besides, he was stronger than that.

Choutarou fell silent after awhile, upon realising that Shishido Senpai wasn't going to listen to him complain, blushing furiously as he watched Shishido Senpai remove his pajama top. The blushing worsened, though, as Choutarou jumped when Shishido Senpai thrusted the top into his arms.

"Ano, Senpai.."

"Just wear it. No complaints."

"Thank you.."

"Just don't fall sick."

Slipping the long-sleeved orange pajama top on quietly, Choutarou shivered slightly at the remaining heat Shishido Senpai had left on the fabric, blushing as the skin of his bare hands rubbed against the warmth. Shishido Senpai shot him a quiet, amused smile, and Choutarou returned it with one of his own; A shy, eyelash battering smile, like how he always did.

"Thank you," he repeated quietly, pulling the top over his chest.

"Don't mention it- By the way, you better have a good explanation for this, Choutarou."

Choutarou blushed again, quietly, and sneaked another glance at his wristwatch. It read 00:15, which meant that he had missed the event completely, so their meeting was half-useless in a way. But Choutarou wasn't going to let this opportunity slip. Not after.. Not after he had finally made his decision.

The silver-haired boy flushed a healthy shade of crimson under Shishido Senpai's scrutinizing gaze..

And his lips found his senior's just as a shooting star raced past the night skies.

"Happy _belated_ Birthday, Shishido Senpai.."

"Choutarou-"

"I like you, Senpai. I really do."

Their lips met again just as a second flash of brilliant light traced a line through the bright stars.

"I.. I like you too, Choutarou."


	2. Hearts

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Prince of Tennis & the hot tennis princes inside, although like everyone else out there, I really wish I did.

**Note to all : **No, no, I haven't forgotten about my other stories, don't worry. I sometimes find myself getting random bits of ideas without being able to string them into something usable, and here's where they'll end up! This is a collection of one-shots/short stories/drabbles about the silver pair from Hyoutei, Prince of Tennis, with other pairs mentioned here and there. Rated T generally, with individual ratings inside each chapter/story. Stories may or may not be related to one another, so be sure to read the Summary!

**Title : **#2 - Hearts

**Summary :**Silver pair fluff! An alternate way of how Choutarou and Shishido got together. Shishido had always treated Choutarou as his best, best friend, and nothing more. However, the senior realises one day that Choutarou's tennis play is deproving; His junior's serves were extremely off, his smashes too hard. Choutarou, too, seems to be paying attention to something else rather than their game.. What's happening? A drabble, rated T to be safe.

I typed this just before I slept yesterday, and after rereading it in the morning, I spotted many of my own mistakes So here's an edited version, I hope I've gotten most of my mistakes! Enjoy!

* * *

Shishido Ryou hit a cross-court rising shot towards his double's partner, wincing slightly as he watched his Kouhai miss it - It was the fourth time Choutarou had let such an easy return slip after sustaining a long and hard rally with him each time. Normally, Ryou would just laugh it off as Choutarou blushed at his 'mistake'.

This time, however, Choutarou wasn't blushing at all - Well, not when he missed the shots anyway. This time, too, Ryou found himself unable to laugh, and was frowning as he scrutinized the silver-haired boy's each and every action. The mistakes didn't seem coincidental at all - If anything, they were done on purpose - Ryou confirmed that suspicion as he caught a familiar gleam lurking in those fierce, golden eyes, of concentration and calculation. Ryou's own amber ones narrowed in suspicion as he threw a sharp glance in Atobe's direction, then in Oshitari's. They must have something to do with this.

Well, if he didn't know better, he would just assume that Choutarou's tennis was deproving like mad for reasons yet unknown. But he _did _know better, or at least well enough to start suspecting that something serious was going on. Atobe isn't being himself. Normally, Atobe would be screaming his head off at his Regulars when they under-perform. Now, he's just watching Choutarou with this annoying smirk on his face. A smirk that told Ryou they were all hiding something from him.

"Love to thirty! Ootori to serve!"

Besides, Choutarou's serves were getting extremely inaccurate, and they were getting weaker and weaker, so much so that they could actually be returned - Not to mention his smashes as well. It was almost as if Choutarou was trying to get them to hit every single uncovered spot on the court, and that Choutarou was actually trying to _make him return_ every single one of his smashes. This is just.. Ridiculous.

Frowning again as he sent Choutarou's 'scud' serve (that wasn't that fast at all) back with an easy smash, Ryou watched as Choutarou dived after it at once, a sudden alarmed expression on the junior's face as he tried to save the ball, as though.. As though he didn't even want it to land on the court. As though he was scared it would leave a mark or something.

_That's so lame. That's so unlike Choutarou._

The ball slammed into the net, and Choutarou sighed with relief - Yes, he actually _sighed with relief! _Brows furrowing as the umpire was taken aback, like everyone else watching, Ryou whipped around and tugged his cap off, wanting to start shouting-

_The least you can do is to start playing serious, Choutarou-_

"Lo-Love to Forty! Ootori to-"

"That's about enough."

"Ah.. Hai! Game set and-"

"There's no need for that."

With a fierce scowl plastered upon his face, Ryou spun around to face the source of the voice, Atobe _Buchou_, almost growling as he saw that his captain had stood up. Choutarou jumped slightly, but when Ryou stole a sidewards glance at the junior, he was surprised to find that Choutarou was actually grinning sheepishly.

_What the hell?_

"That's about enough for today," Atobe repeated slowly, his voice somehow managing to be knife-sharp and lazily-cool at the same time. "Ootori, you owe Ore-sama another fifty rounds for your wonderful performance, so remember that. Shishido, tidy up that court before you leave. Everyone else, you may leave."

"But I've already done the courts yester-"

"Ore-sama says that you will do it again, then, and you will. Let's go, Kabaji. We're going home.

"Usu."

There's no point arguing, Ryou knew. Cursing under his breath, the blue-capped boy stalked off the courts in anger, storming off to drop his racket and to pick up the maintenance equipments. In his fury, he had failed to notice the hopeful, but saddened glance Choutarou threw at him as the junior left the tennis courts with Hiyoshi. In his fury, he had almost forgotten about Choutarou and his absolutely bizarre behaviour.

The keyword is 'almost'. At least, only until he overheard Oshitari and Gakuto as the doubles-2 pair brushed past him without noticing him.

"Say, Ryou's really being thick isn't he? Neh, Yuushi?"

"I'm sure he'll come to understand.. Soon."

"It's fun isn't it? We should play truth or dare more often!"

"Gakuto, please, you might as well announce it to the whole world with that kind of volume."

"But Ootori was being cute! He really managed it, after just 2 matches!"

"I'm sure he practices on his own, it's hardly.. A challenge."

"It is for a second year!"

"Hai, hai."

Unconsciously, his grip on the floor brush tightened, and Ryou stayed on the spot even after Oshitari and Gakuto were long gone.

* * *

Two more days had passed; Ryou had been made to play a doubles' match against Oshitari and Gakuto with Choutarou, and another match against Choutarou alone. The doubles' match went almost too smoothly - Choutarou seemed to have regained his normal control over his tennis play, so they breezed through the match, ending with a Six-games-to-Two with Gakuto screwing up his acrobatic tennis mid-game through. However, during their singles' match..

"Oi Choutarou! Stop that!"

His poor Kouhai took a step backwards as he yelled across the courts. Ryou scowled as he whipped around, half regretting that he had shouted at Choutarou, half hoping that Choutarou would just stop messing around anymore. Today was slightly different - The only people watching them were Jiroh and Oshitari. Jiroh was, well, he was sleeping like he always did. The only person who appeared to be watching the match was Oshitari, who sat at the extreme end of the spectators' stands, allowing him a good view of the whole court. Right now, Ryou found himself staring at Oshitari more often than he would rather, because Choutarou had his back to their tensai, and because Choutarou didn't seem to want to play proper tennis with him at all.

Still, the distance their tensai put between him and the courts weren't enough for Ryou to not notice the obvious smirk the blue-haired boy held on his features.

"I.. Just one more smash.."

"One more smash to what?!"

Ryou was getting extremely agitated; His cap had already been tossed aside a while ago, and he was ruffling his choppy-brown hair much often than ever, a recent habit he had developed when he was agitated, pissed, or nervous. Choutarou stood in the middle of his court, head lowered, shuffling nervously on the spot. He didn't seem like he was going to do some explaining anytime soon, though.

"One more smash to what, Choutarou?!"

"Shishido, maybe you should come up here and enjoy the view."

A quiet voice drew their attention almost at once, a voice laced with amusement, as though its owner was very, very entertained. Ryou's glare shot to Oshitari's know-it-all smirk once more, and he was almost certain he looked like he was going to murder the first person that gets into range. Choutarou, too, whipped around to glance at Oshitari with a shocked expression on his face, jumping slightly at the sound of Oshitari's voice. _Whatever! _Ryou's amber-fury eyes narrowed significantly; He didn't even understand what the hell Oshitari was talking about. Trembling slightly out of pure agitation and because he totally couldn't comprehend what was going on, Shishido swallowed a growl that threatened to escape his throat, and opened his mouth to speak.

"What-"

"Just get up here, Shishido. Ootori, don't you have something to-"

"Enough, Oshitari. Don't ruin Ore-sama's fun."

"Ah.. Atobe."

"Yeah that's right, Yuushi! You cheated!"

"Maybe you should start keeping an eye out for Oshitari, Kabaji."

"Usu."

"Gekokujou."

"Ah, ah well, fine.."

"YUUUSHIIII CHEATED!"

The other Regulars had joined them all suddenly, causing his one-way conversation with Oshitari to end as yelling (contributed by Gakuto) started echoing around the courts. Ryou growled as he stormed off towards the stands; He knew what he was going to be told without even being told this time. Besides, he might as well try out Oshitari's.. Ah, suggestion. Not that it could actually be.. _Wait, could Yuushi actually been trying to be helpful?_

"That's about enough for today," Atobe said lazily, as though he was starting to get tired of repeating himself. "Choutarou, that's two hundred rounds now, remember that. Shishido, you know what to go. Let's go, everyone."

* * *

He didn't really understand, standing at the spot Oshitari had been sitting at. Ryou stared hard at the courts, trying to spot something, anything in fact, but nothing was coming to him.

Well, if Gakuto was making so much noise about Oshitari 'cheating', then this must mean something. But something what?

Choutarou had insisted on throwing a last serve into his court, and that last serve had been a perfect scud serve with a good speed, almost as though Choutarou never had problems controlling it. That serve left a darkened mark on his left court, one that he was staring at right now. Not that he could make anything out of it anyway.

It had still been the evening just a while back, but now, night was falling, and it was soon getting dark. Finally deciding that he didn't want to tidy the courts alone in darkness, Ryou sighed, and hopped off the stands. In the end, Oshitari's 'advice' didn't seem to help at.. All..

Barely a couple of steps down the stands, Ryou found himself rooted on the spot again, staring straight at a single spot on the courts - It was another darkened mark Choutarou had made with his first scud serve in this game, one that forced Ryou into a sidewards dive, one that Ryou had missed in the end. That spot laid directly in the middle of the back-half of his court, and now that he was staring so hard at it, Ryou began to notice the rest of the other smash marks.

He noticed, too, how the mark seemed to be able to join together to form.. Something.

Raising a slender finger quietly, Ryou slowly traced out the shape in mid air, following the dots one-by-one, going in a clockwise direction. Ryou traced a curve in the shape of a semi-circle, then a diagonal line down in the south-west direction, where it ended sharply on the middle line on the front-half of that court, another diagonal line back up in the north-west direction, another semi-circle.. Ending with the last mark Choutarou had made with his final serve. The line closed itself in a shape of a..

"Baka," Ryou mouthed silently as his eyes squeezed shut. "Baka," he repeated slowly, shaking his head in disbelief. "Baka," he managed out loud this time, opening his eyes again to take in the trace of the heart shape on the court.

It wasn't perfectly done, since Choutarou had to complete it while enduring Ryou's screams and agitation. However, it was really.. Really.. Touching. Moreover, Choutarou actually did this in front of everyone, and it seems like everyone else knew about this already - At least the Regulars do, anyway.

As he whipped out his phone to take a picture before it becomes to dark, the mahogany-haired boy shook his head, denying the slight bit of moisture that found its way to the corners of his eyes.

_No way I'm crying over this.. Choutarou.._

Maybe, when he next sees Choutarou, he, too, will have something for him..

* * *

"I want to see I want to see I WANT TO SEE-"

"Kabaji, shut Gakuto up."

"Usu."

"Neh, Kaba-chan, can you carry me? I can't see-"

"Mukahi Senpai, control yourself please."

"MMMMUUURRRR-"

"..."

"But well, declare your love for Shishido infront of everyone on the courts? That sure was a good way around that one, Ootori."

"Ah, thank you, Oshitari Senpai, but.."

"Shh."

"No fair! I wanted to see Choutarou confess!"

"Ano, I did.."

"He did-"

"In words, Choutarou, in words!"

"..."

"But this is nicely done, all the same. Ore-sama is rather impressed."

"Thank you Buchou.."

"And Ryou's cry-cry-crying! I'm going to laugh at him in class tomorrow!"

"..."

"By the way, I won the bet, Atobe."

"Ore-sama will not accept this. You cheated."

"He still found out within five matches."

"But Yuushi, you did cheat!"

"Ano, Atobe Buchou.. My rounds.."

"You may forgo them."

"Thank you so very much, Atobe Buchou!"

"The bet, Atobe.."

"No."

"..."

"Whatever! Let's go play truth or dare again!"


	3. Truth or Dare

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Prince of Tennis & the hot tennis princes inside, although like everyone else out there, I really wish I did.

**Note to all : **No, no, I haven't forgotten about my other stories, don't worry. I sometimes find myself getting random bits of ideas without being able to string them into something usable, and here's where they'll end up! This is a collection of one-shots/short stories/drabbles about the silver pair from Hyoutei, Prince of Tennis, with other pairs mentioned here and there. Rated T generally, with individual ratings inside each chapter/story. Stories may or may not be related to one another, so be sure to read the Summary!

**Title : **#3 - Truth or Dare

**Summary :**A little drabble, set before [#2 - Hearts]. Boredom leads to games, and that usually leads to dangerous games like the classical - Truth or Dare! Much focus placed on the silver pair, although I've tried to include the others as much as possible.. Sorry if this story kind of sucks. Not too good with my summaries yet, pardon me for that.. Another drabble, rated T to be safe. A dedication to a certain someone; I don't think I need to say who this is for! XD. Hope you'll enjoy.

Oh, by the way, I don't know about you guys, but when I read fanfiction, I tend to use 3/4 as my story width.. I think it works better on most of my stories ;X Ah, just ranting! Ignore this if you want! XD.

* * *

_Really, I must be the unluckiest person on Earth to land myself in such a situation._

Shishido Ryou sighed as he pushed himself off the _zabuton _he was kneeling on, brushing his pants slightly as he made his way to the door. He could feel the others' accusing stares on his back, but the blue-capped boy was determind to keep his eyes on the door as he slided it open. It didn't matter if they think that he was running away, because he couldn't possibly let what happened just now happen again. It didn't hurt him, no. It probably hurt someone else, though.

"Washroom," was all he could managed before he slammed the door shut behind him, overwhelmed by the desire to get the hell out of here. That, actually, was impossible at the moment.. There was no way he could find a way out of this maze of Atobe's mansion without Atobe as a guide, much less without Atobe's key to the front gates (of freedom).

Besides, he couldn't possibly leave his kouhai alone with these sly wolv- teammates of his. He couldn't possibly leave alone without Choutarou by his side. Leaning heavily against the wall beside the door to the room he'd just escaped from, Shishido tilted his head backwards, and sighed once again. He knew, he could almost picture it in his head, that poor kouhai of his blushing madly while staring blankly at the floor, that Choutarou was being bombarded with questions now, even though they were technically only supposed to ask him one. It'd probably help, even if it was just a little, that he was out of the room. At least he'll be able to answer somewhat more truthfully, since that was what he was supposed to do anyway.

More of now than ever, Ryou found the need to start getting used to the fact that there is someone else he wanted to care about right now, the fact that now his head thinks for two person's sake, not just for his own. If he couldn't even tolerate this little game for him, there's no way he could handle bigger things in the future, when they get- _Wait, did my thoughts just-_

Shaking away the messy thoughts in his head, Ryou sighed once more as he slided into a boneless pile on the floor by the wall. His mind almost emptied of ridiculous thoughts and _fantasies_, Ryou started from 1 slowly, counting seconds in his head. _2, 3, 4, 5.._

_175 more seconds till it's safe to go back in.._

* * *

_A good half an hour ago .._

"I'm bored."

"Cheh, so am I."

"Atobe, what was the point of this gathering again?"

"There wasn't one to begin with."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh?!"

"Don't be too loud, Gakuto. You'll wake Jiroh up."

"Relax, Gakuto."

"Huh, what, Kei.."

"I didn't do that."

"It's your fault, Mukahi Senpai."

"It's okay, Jiroh. Go back to sleep."

"No, I want to play.."

"Then we shall play something! Together!"

"We've exhausted almost everything in here, what else can we do?"

"Atobe, do you have a bottle?"

"Why, Oshitari?"

"AHHHH, TRUTH OR DARE!"

"... Again..?"

* * *

_A good fifteen minutes or so ago .._

Choutarou stared at the floor, more specifically, at the emptied glass bottle lying neatly on the floor. It used to contain sparkling water, it seems, Choutarou knew that only because he'd been staring at the label on the bottle for the past half a minute. The others seems to be waiting patiently for him to get over the shock, but..

That still doesn't change the fact that the mouth of the bottle was pointed directly at him.

Somewhere to his side, seperated from him by an excited Mukahi Senpai, was Shishido Senpai, shaking his head slightly as he shielded his eyes with his hands, a somewhat exasperated expression on his face, or at least what he perceived to be one. Choutarou glanced up once again and saw Oshitari Senpai staring at him with a somewhat (as he perceived) evil expression on his face, and looked away, and then looked away again, because his eyes landed on Akutagawa Senpai, who had his head in Atobe Buchou's laps, looking as though he was going to doze off again.

Finally, Mukahi Senpai seems to be unable to control his excitement any longer, not that he would expect anything more from him..

"So, truth or dare?"

"Ahh.."

_They'll ask about Shishido Senpai, _Choutarou moaned mentally, glancing at and away from Mukahi Senpai as the red-haired senior bounced up and down on the cushion by his side. He was steadily running out of things to stare at, Choutarou realised as his eyes locked on the bottle on the ground again.

"So?"

".. Dare.."

A groan sounded from his right hand side, and without even looking, Choutarou knew who the sigh had came from. Nowever, an excited exclaim soon overpowered the quiet groan, and Choutarou almost jumped as he made proper sense of the words coming out from his senior's mouth.

"I dare you to kiss Ryou! On the lips!"

* * *

_"Shishido Senpai.."_

_"Do you realise what you're saying, Ootori?"_

_The use of his first name made him jump, since it had been months since he'd heard that familiar voice utter that familiar name - Choutarou hastily lifted his eyes, soft, molten golden meeting fierce, solid amber as his favourite Shishido Senpai glared at him murderously. It was much to overwhelming to comphrehend at the moment. Lifting his tower to cover his face, Choutarou moaned quietly into the soft fabric, his mind desperately trying to make sense of what is happening.. _

_"Choutarou," Shishido senpai's voice sounded again, closer than usual, forcing Choutarou to jerk his head upwards to look at the owner of the voice. Shishido Senpai had officially crossed the boundaries of their own comfort zones - The blue-capped boy was standing too close to him to be true. Choutarou felt the insane urge to back away, but yet at the same time, he was rooted to the spot, unable to react to the unbearably close distance between the both of them. Somehow, at the back of his mind, he wanted to reach out and to take the smaller tennis player in his arms, but he was afraid of the other's reaction.._

_"You're confused. It's okay, it doesn't matter. I'll see you tomorrow."_

"Shishido Senpai, can we.. Can we.. Be more than just friends?"

_Choutarou's eyes flashed open once more, blinking rapidly, his mouth hanging slightly agape. He hadn't properly realise what he'd just done, but since he'd already done it, it was too late to regret. All that's left for him to do is.. "Wait!" He managed to call out to Shishido Senpai, just before the older boy made his escape from the club room. Shishido Senpai paused on the spot, not turning around, his fist clenching slowly, waiting for him to speak. Waiting, and probably expecting a reason behind all this._

_"I.. Please, Shishido Senpai, I'm serious.."_

_"I'm serious too," Shishido Senpai injected, cutting off him in mid-speech. Choutarou dropped his head, knowing that his senior wouldn't look back at him anyway. He'd probably just ruinned their relationship like that, by asking without thinking beforehand, by being so hasty instead of planning things through.._

_"You're my doubles' partner, and my best friend. You're my kouhai, and you're someone I wish to protect.. But that ends there. I'll see you at lunch tomorrow, don't make me wait." With that, Shishido Senpai left him alone in the club room. He was still clutching his tower loosely in his hand, but both his arms now laid limply by his side. A beat later, his knees gave way, and he fell into a senseless pile on the floor as he knocked into the rows of lockers behind his back._

_Sure, he'd meet Shishido Senpai for lunch tomorrow, bright and cheerful.. But things will never be the same again._

* * *

_A good ten minutes ago .._

If he hadn't been dreaming so much about a moment like this, Shishido was sure he wouldn't even imagine that he'd know how to react. Not that he'll ever admit to that anyway. Not in this lifetime.

He'd heard Gakuto's gasp, and he'd noticed Oshitari's widened eyes, which was a rare sight indeed, but that could be dealt with later - The red-head could be easily distracted, and the blue-haired tensai.. There were ways around his guard. He knew that Jiroh was awake, shaking as his silver-haired lover held him steady by the shoulders, and he knew that Atobe was smirking, but that, too, could be dealt with later - All he needed to do is to do a little yelling, earn a couple-ten rounds around the court, and they might be distracted. Jiroh might just forget about this little scene after he fell back asleep. He was only vaguely aware that Hiyoshi was whistling, and that Kabaji was actually watching - Watching, not just looking, but that, too, he could think about later..

What he needed to comphrehend right now was the pair of soft hands cupping his cheeks gently, the familiar gleam of determination within those captivating golden irises.. And the press of a certain soft, unfamiliar feel against his lips. It had been done slowly, but his brain wasn't reacting - It all seemed so sudden.

With their lips finally pressed gently and fully together in a tentative kiss, Choutarou's hold on his cheeks tightened slightly, not hard enough to hurt, but not soft enough to be ignored. It was definitely all he needed to fully jerk him back to his senses - Half a second later, Shishido was already holding Choutarou at an arm's length away, panting as he bowed his head, knowing that his partner was doing the same.

Memories in the club room from a couple of days before flooded his mind, and Shishido shook his head almost in denial, eyes squeezing shut. He hadn't even realise it when Choutarou knelt infront of him, unceremoniously taking his first kiss in front of everyone. If he knew, he would've stopped it.

Choutarou didn't need to do that dare.

Standing up quickly, ignoring the stares he was getting, ignoring Choutarou, who was still staring at the floor blankly, Shishido pursed his lips in a rather un-Shishido like way, and stalked out of the room.

"Washroom," was all he managed before slamming the door shut.

* * *

Shishido Senpai took 4 minutes the first time he left for the washroom, 2 minutes the second time he did. Choutarou only knew this because he was silently counting when the blue-capped senior left the room, and that happened everytime the mouth of the bottle ended up pointing at him.

He'd also learnt not to pick "dares" anymore, and instead, he'd learnt to pick the other remaining option available, since "pass" wasn't accepted in Mukahi Senpai's rule for Truth-or-Dare. It was, surprisingly, easier to answer "truth" questions without Shishido Senpai being in the room. And, suspiciously, Shishido Senpai seems to be doing just that on purpose.

Watching blankly as Shishido Senpai left the room once more, Choutarou sighed as he finally glanced at the cursed bottle again. It seems to love pointing at him, and because of that, he wasn't able to stay in a room peacefully with Shishido Senpai without having the senior to escape to the washroom every 5 minutes or so.

The thunderously furious look Shishido Senpai's face probably meant that he wasn't happy about the kiss. Then again, if he didn't hold onto that chance, he might never.. Now, he was almost sure that he'll never get another chance ever again.

"So, Ryou chickened out again. He could've heard your answer for the past- Ah well. Truth or dare?"

He was starting to get sick of Truths. Mukahi Senpai seems to love humanities a lot, especially so when he was playing truth-or-dare. His questions came in parts, usually not less than 4, and he was required to answer all of them, since according to all his Senpai-tachi, they're still counted as one big question.

".. Dare.." The response slipped out of his mouth before he could put much thought into it - By the time he realised, by the time he lifted up his hands to his mouth, Choutarou could only realise that the damage had already been done.

"Okay then! I dare you to declare your love for Ryou infront of everyone on the courts during practice!"

It didn't seem like his other seniors would help him in any way anytime soon.


	4. Dress Code

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Prince of Tennis & the hot tennis princes inside, although like everyone else out there, I really wish I did.

**Note to all : **No, no, I haven't forgotten about my other stories, don't worry. I sometimes find myself getting random bits of ideas without being able to string them into something usable, and here's where they'll end up! This is a collection of one-shots/short stories/drabbles about the silver pair from Hyoutei, Prince of Tennis, with other pairs mentioned here and there. Rated T generally, with individual ratings inside each chapter/story. Stories may or may not be related to one another, so be sure to read the Summary!

**Title : **#4 - Dress Code

**Summary : **"Choutarou, have you told your parents yet? They called to ask me over on Saturday night, did you ask them to do that?" The moment Choutarou heard those words from Shishido Senpai, his mind immediately jumped to the worse possible conclusion, which happened to be the exactly correct one. Not that he could expect anything lesser from things like this.. Or could he? Not too good with my summaries yet, pardon me for that.. Another drabble, a little fluff here and there, rated T to be safe. Hope you'll enjoy.

* * *

"Neh, Aniki," Shishido Ryou finally managed after hesitating for a good ten minutes outside in the corridor, his head extended tentatively into Shishido Jun's room as he held a careful and controlled expression on his face. "Aniki!" He called out again, louder this time as he noticed that the older boy was listening to his music.

Jun whipped around, pulling out his earphones from his ears as he did. "Did I just hear wrongly, or did you just called me 'aniki'?"

"Whatever. I have something to ask."

"Fire away, my dearest -"

"Jun. Don't start that."

After he was satisfied with his brother's momentary silence, Ryou sighed and tried to keep his mind on the impending challenge he had to tackle. Letting himself into his older brother's room slowly, Ryou tried his best to keep his eyes off the disturbingly obscene choice of decoration that coloured every single in of the spacious room. He didn't have much time to spend on worrying about unnecessary things at the moment.

"So, what was so important that my dearest brother had to -"

"Aniki.."

"Fine, fine! What is it then?"

"Say.." Ryou begun slowly, eyes slowly tracing the carpetted floor as he tried to spot even a single pattern in the seeming mess of fur, his mind running through the questions that he had long planned to ask. Not just for his sake, but for his love and his relationship's sake as well. "What's the dress code for a violin recital? For.. A girl."

A little embarrassed and agitated as his brother fell silent totally, ogling at him as though he had just sprouted horns and a tail, Ryou squeezed his eyes shut, and willed himself not to think about it. "I need you to teach me ettiquete. You only have half an hour."

Jun's wide, open mouth was all he needed to confirm his nagging thoughts - This is crazy, and this will hardly be possible.

But he had to do it.

* * *

It was 7:25 in the evening, and his parents had forced him to sit in the living room as they all waited.

Ootori Choutarou was dressed in a semi-formal, his long white sleeves rolled up slightly to free his hands, a deep blue tie lying half slacked on his chest. His vest, a dark, sleeveless one, slung over the head of his sofa seat. His father was in something similar except for the fact that he already had his jacket on, while his mother was in a formal, royal green evening gown. All of them, including the nervous but silenced Choutarou, were waiting patiently for a certain Shishido's arrival - After all, it was 5 minutes to 7:30 p.m..

This was exactly what he had been dreading since the day he had accidentally let slipped to his parents that he was currently dating 'Shishido Senpai'. Of course, his parents both knew that 'Shishido Senpai', or who they'd rather refer to as the 'rough boy who plays as our son's partner on the tennis team', but they had refused to make the connection between this 'Shishido Senpai' and the other 'Shishido Senpai', which actually was the same person all along.

Of course, Choutarou couldn't understand why it was so hard to tell his parents that he was dating Shishido Ryou, who, just like himself, was a perfectly normal boy with slightly unusual preferences when it came to relationship partners.

Besides, inviting his boyfriend over for a violin recital without previously meeting him, or even knowing him for that matter of fact, was simply an overkill - He didn't even know until he was approached by a suspicious Shishido Senpai, who brought it up almost too casually during one of their lunch sessions a few days ago. Confirming that Choutarou hadn't been able to take any part of the planning of this evening's plans didn't change the fact that Shishido Senpai had already agreed to attend the performance. It wouldn't.

This was just one of those meet-the-parents session in disguise, probably for his parents to assess his first boyfriend.

The door bell rang suddenly, sending a short, shrill note to echo throughout the rather empty residence of the Ootori family, piercing through the stale silence in the living room like a blade of a sword to melted butter. The bell was the signal to Shishido Senpai's arrival, and yet he hadn't even gotten the right message through his parents' head. Sighing, Choutarou hung his head in dismay as his mother pushed herself off the couch to answer the door.

Hearing his mother shuffle away, Choutarou squeezed his eyes shut, trying to imagine the worst scenario that could happen the moment his parents found that the person at the front door was actually that 'rough and vulgar' Shishido Ryou Senpai.

They'll send him oversaes straight away, that's for sure. Build a safe distance between their dearest, supposedly-straight, brain-washed and well behaved son and that crude and loud gangster-like boy who has corrupted their son to forgo his musical talents and to playrough sports like tennis. Considering this, though, Choutarou felt extremely depressed and ashamed, partly at himself for thinking so badly of his parents, partly because it'll kill him if that happened, partly because he was almost sure this would definitely happen.

The door clicked open, and he heard his mother's surprised exclaim. Not a good sign.

_Please, Kami-sama, please let things work out well.._

"Ah, you must be.. Shishido-chan?"

_That's strange..? _Choutarou whipped around, his gaze shooting towards the front door, a brow lifted as he studying his mother's surprised features. The door shielded Shishido Senpai nicely, so he couldn't see.. But still, it was impossible for his mother to not know Shishido Senpai.. And wait, did she just said "Shishido-chan"?

As though not understanding his wife's reaction as well, Choutarou's father stood up and crossed the room to join his wife, his son gulping nervously, still in his seat. Upon seeing his father's surprised expression too, Choutarou's eyes widened, not understanding what's going on.

"Good evening, Ootori-san, I hope I haven't kept you guys waiting.." _Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh..?!_

_That's.. That's Shishido Senpai.. Right..? But that person.. Sounds so.. Sharp.. And.. Gentle.. Almost.. Almost girl-like.._

"Don't worry, Shishido-chan, you haven't."

"Uhm, I'm Shishido Ren, Ootori-san. Ren-chan will do.. Please take care of me.."

"Oh, of course, of course.."

Choutarou jumped as his mother whipped around to glare at him, completely not getting what had just happened. Ren-chan? Where's Shishido Senpai? Seeing that her son wasn't going to move anytime soon without more prompts, Choutarou's mother snapped her lips impatiently and rounded her son, grabbing his vest as she did.

"Why didn't you bring her home before this? She's pretty!"

Choutarou had the nagging suspicion that it wasn't Shishido Senpai at the door, or that Shishido Senpai was hiding something very, very important from him.

He wasn't totally off the mark.. But he might as well have been, when he saw the Shishido Senpai at the door.

* * *

Ryou moaned, but after nothing but a dry choking sound escaped his lips, he snapped his glossy lips shut and started pulling out the ribbon from his hair. He had to keep resisting the urge to lick his own lips, because even though his brother had claimed that he was using some sort of strawberry lip gloss, they tasted nothing like strawberries. Drawing out a piece of paper from the box beside him, Ryou stuck it between his lips and pressed down, hoping this was enough to get rid of all the gloss on his lips.

His throat felt dry, and he needed water. It felt weird, because he had been trying not to swallow his saliva while trying to keep his lips moist, which landed him in this state. There was only one reason why he had to keep his lips moist was because he had to keep talking, and that was because Choutarou's parents had used twice as much effort listening to the recital on chatting with him, on every subject possible between parents and their child's relationship partner. And Choutarou.. Had been _really _helpful. Choutarou spent almost the whole time staring at him like he's never seen him before. In a way, that was true. Painfully true. But painfully disturbing, and annoying as well.

The earrings came off easily, too, since he had been using the clipped on type his brother had offered. Ryou growled angrily as he squeezed his eyes shut; Making a cute sound that, to Choutarou, sounded almost like he was annoyed and unsatistifed, while in actual fact the older boy just felt angry and very, very tormented. Swearing to god that he'll never attempt this again unless he really had to, Ryou forced himself to look away from his glossy, painted blue nails, reminding himself that he had done this for a good cause.

The stupid, restricting jacket his brother had made him wear over his sleeveless gown came off right next, and Ryou gasped almost tore a hole in it in disgust and his haste to get it off him. Well, he hated it of course, but his brother had been so kind enough to lend it to him, claiming that it was 'one of his favourites', not that he cared, but.. Ah well. He really had to thank his brother for his help this time. The least he could probably do was to be gentle with his brother's things.

He couldn't do anything about the dress, though, and he'd probably have to wait till he was somewhere else to change out of it. The make up.. He'll need some weird facial wipes or something, but they're in his brother's tiny, female hand bag, one which he never wanted to see again for the rest of his life. Which reminds him, he absolutely hated the way girls like to dress for formal occasions-

"Shishido Senpai.. If you start stripping beside me, I won't be able to concentrate on driving.."

"Shut up and drive! You were ogling at me throughout the whole recital, don't think I didn't notice!"

They were lucky enough to be able to escape in Choutarou's car. If not, Ryou wasn't at all sure if he could handle anymore of that torture. Or the _talking_, to be honest.

"You're really pretty tonight.."

"I don't like being called pretty!"

"But you are.. And it was hard to not stare.."

"That's an excuse!"

"But your chest-"

"I'll murder you- KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!"

"AHHHHHHHH-"

Shishido leaned over and grabbed the wheel, luckily pulling them off the road with traffic travelling in the opposite direction just before them would be flattened by the incoming truck. As they managed to drift back onto the right side of the road, both boys found themselves breathing heavily in shock, Ryou more so than Choutarou. However, that landed Ryou in a weird position, his back against Choutarou's chest, his 'chest' almost on Choutarou's lap. Both boys immediately found themselves blushing, and Ryou gasped as Choutarou took the wheel back from him, the younger boy's wider hands over his freezing cold ones.

"Your hands are cold, Shishido Senpai.." Despite their positions, Choutarou noticed this first. Of course he would.

"The hall was cold. The dress didn't offer much- Choutarou, why are you pulling over?"

His hands were still on the wheel, wrapped in Choutarou's gentle, but more firm, commanding ones. Choutarou slowed the car to a graduate stop, pulling over by the side of the road, and Shishido noticed vaguely that they had stopped in front of a row of unnamed shops. He couldn't exactly focus on that now, though. Not when he had Choutarou breathing down his neck, since he was leaning over in such a weird position.

His seat belt was quickly unclipped by Choutarou, who had stretched his long, skillful hands over without him noticing. When the younger boy drew back his arm, though, he was lifted into Choutarou's laps, casuing him to gasp in surprise, flushing a deeper shade of crimson. Choutarou hugged him from behind, causing him to sit upright against Choutarou's chest.

"Choutarou!"

He could feel the bulge in Choutarou's pants. Of course. It was against his bottom, and they were only seperated by a couple of layers of fabric. Choutarou had returned to cuddling Ryou's hands in his own, trying to warm it up by rubbing their skin against each other's gently. Ryou found that it was almost impossible to fight the blush anymore, as much as he wanted to control the flow of his blood towards his pants..

"I've been trying to control.. I really have.."

Moaning, struggling to keep his head level as Choutarou started nibbling down his neck, Ryou screwed his eyes shut, pushing Choutarou away as the other boy stared at him with huge, glossy eyes.

"At least.. At least get to my house first!"

"But.."

"I'm not going to do it in your car _again_-"

"But.."

"Start driving, or I'm going back to my seat-"

Choutarou sighed, finally. "Okay.."

Shifting his hands to the wheel, bringing Choutarou's ones as well, Ryou grabbed the wheel as though it was his only driftwood on the ocean, desperate to keep himself in control. The car started slowly, but at last, they were moving. Ryou shuffled slightly in Choutarou's lap in an attempt to make himself more comfortable, but ended up blushing again as younger boy moaned needily into his ear. Opps.

"Shishido Senpai..?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I.. Can you keep the dress on later-"

"No."

"Please..?"

"No- Don'tnibblemyearwhenI'mtryingtodrive- Choutarou.."

"Pretty, pretty please..?"

"No- STOP!"

"You look really good in it.."

"No- FINE. I'll have to ask-"

"Shishido Senpai.."

Pulling sharply into the empty lot in front of his house, Ryou growled in annoyance as Choutarou grinned sheepishly by the side. They had narrowly avoided death about five times in the last few minutes as Ryou tried to speed to his house, just because Choutarou had been nibbling his ear.. Which was what the younger boy had just resumed doing right now.

"Shishido Senpai-" Choutarou managed between nibbling, forcing moans after moans to escape from Shishido's still glossy lips.

"Ahhh.. Fine.."

"Yay!"

"Just.. Don't dirty it.."

"I won't."

"I love you, Shishido Senpai.."

"If it's just the dress-"

"Don't be silly, Shishido Senpai. You really sound like a girl.."

"Fine."

Allowing himself to be carried all the way into his house, bridal style, Ryou sighed and buried his face into Choutarou's chest, listening to Choutarou's quiet chuckles until they reached his room.

"I love you too, Choutarou.."

He knew Choutarou must have heard him, because all he heard as an answer was Choutarou's delighted chuckle before he was set gently onto his bed. With his dress and make up still on.


	5. Lunch Break!

**Disclaimer :** I do not own Prince of Tennis & the hot tennis princes inside, although like everyone else out there, I really wish I did.

**Note to all : **No, no, I haven't forgotten about my other stories, don't worry. I sometimes find myself getting random bits of ideas without being able to string them into something usable, and here's where they'll end up! This is a collection of one-shots/short stories/drabbles about the silver pair from Hyoutei, Prince of Tennis, with other pairs mentioned here and there. Rated T generally, with individual ratings inside each chapter/story. Stories may or may not be related to one another, so be sure to read the Summary!

**Title : **#4 - Lunch Time!

**Summary : **Choutarou's idea of a romantic Lunch Break includes a home-made lunch box, and he just couldn't wait to try that out on his favourite senior. Another drabble, a little fluff here and there, rated T to be safe. Hope you'll enjoy.

* * *

_Maybe he wouldn't come today.._

Choutarou balanced his bento gingerly in his hand, and threw a nervous glance around the courtyard. He was waiting under their tree, but his favourite senpai was nowhere in sight.

_Maybe he's upset about being made a lunch box. Maybe he's insulted.._

Holding back yet another sigh, Choutarou closed his eyes and collapsed his weight against the tree bark. He'd thought a handmade lunch box was a good change from the usual convenient store bread that Shishido-san always had.. Maybe he was wrong. Or maybe, he should've kept this a secret, if he'd known Shishido-san would feel insulted.

Just as he was about to drag his frame back to his classroom, a familiar voice rang from overhead. "Oi Choutarou!" he heard, and immediately his head shot up to find a panting figure, peaking out of a window 3 storeys above him.

"Shishido-san!"

"I got caught up with something- wait there, I'm coming down now!"

Listening to the flustered voice, Choutarou cracked a huge smile, and felt a blush rise up to his cheeks. Without thinking, he threw his arms out wide, and held them there as he locked gaze with his senior.

Even from the distance he could see Shishido-san freeze on the spot, and arc his eyebrow in question.

"… What?"

"… Jump! I'll- I'll catch you!"

Shishido-san shot him a shocked look, and withdrew himself from the window almost immediately. "As if I'd do that!" was the only yell Choutarou heard as Shishido-san thundered down the stairs to meet him.

_Right.. As if he would do that._. Chotuarou grinned sheepishly, still blushing. He had no idea why he had blurted that out; and now, he tried mentally preparing himself for the berating he was sure would come.

Instead, as Choutarou watch his senior step out of the building towards him, all he saw was the deep red blush on the older boy's face; and how he was refusing to meet Choutarou's eyes.

"Shishido-san.."

"… After school.."

"Eh?" He had missed the soft mutter in confusion.

Shishido-san looked up with a fierce glare, but as he spoke, his voice trembled. "… After school," he breathed slowly, trying hard not to look away. "If you want, we can try that after school."

Then, as though desperate to break away from the embarrassing moment, Shishido-san snatched away the lunch box from Chotuarou's hand, and turned to dash away.

Choutarou stood rooted on the spot, stunned by what he had heard; then, as he watched Shishido-san disappear around the corner, he snapped back to senses. As he started trying to catch up, Choutarou could not help keep the wide grin off his face.

"Wait for me, Shishido-san!"


End file.
